sunGallen

A St. Gallen Photographer Who Tells Stories

sunGallen* is the photography business of Urs Anderegg in St. Gallen. His homepage introduces him in one sentence: "Ich bin Fotograf aus St.Gallen. Meine Leidenschaft ist es, mit meinen Fotos Geschichten zu erzählen und Emotionen sichtbar zu machen." (I am a photographer from St. Gallen. My passion is telling stories with my photos and making emotions visible.) The page title names St. Gallen, Thurgau and Appenzell, and every service on his list is labeled St. Gallen and eastern Switzerland (Ostschweiz).

Romantic wedding reportage ("Romantische Hochzeitsreportagen") heads that list. The other services are lively family photos, pictures of the city of St. Gallen from different angles, natural portraits, architecture photos with an eye for detail, atmospheric event photography and couple photos. The site also has a webshop selling cards and gifts from St. Gallen and a section for online galleries, where clients find their pictures.

What His Wedding Couples Say

The homepage gives the most room to feedback, and most of it comes from wedding couples. Caroline and Pascal thank him because, thanks to his work, they can hold their memories "nicht nur in unseren Herzen, sondern auch in den Händen" (not only in our hearts but in our hands). Silke and Urs write that when they look at the pictures today, they are pulled back into the happiness of that day. Nina and Chrigl credit his "Gespür für besondere Stimmungen und den richtigen Moment" (feel for special moods and the right moment), and thank him for his great commitment. Anja and Cornel say that both they and their guests liked his positive, friendly manner, and Letizia and Philipp write that they received so much praise for the photos that they are passing it on.

One review is a useful clue to what couples receive. Cosima and Rainer thank him for recording their day and say they will enjoy the pictures "(und das Fotobuch)" (and the photo book) for the rest of their lives, so a printed book has been part of at least some of his wedding work.

Non-wedding clients appear too. A project leader at Benevol St. Gallen writes that the people photographed felt comfortable and enjoyed it. The host of the Landgasthaus and Gourmet-Stübli Bären Grub thanks him for great photos, and the manager of a painting business thanks him for architecture photos used on his website. For a wedding couple, the relevant point is the repeated remark that people feel at ease in front of his camera.

His Appenzell Venue Tips

The second page on his site is a list of venue tips from his perspective as a wedding photographer in the Appenzell region. He writes that he has seen many lively celebrations there and discovered many great places for a stylish wedding, yet couples keep surprising him by taking him to new ones. The list is meant to help couples looking for special venues. These are his personal recommendations, not venues he runs or books.

Bären Hundwil. A spacious hall for around 100 guests in the restored festival hall of the Bären. He praises the team around Timo Schmucki and Martina Helbling as great hosts, and notes that a party running into the early morning hours is no problem there.

Auenland Stein. A location near Stein that has only existed since 2021, set in a former gravel works in a renaturalized landscape, with something to discover indoors and out. He writes that he has not yet photographed an event there and has only heard good things so far.

Berggasthaus Forelle Seealpsee. A mountain inn in the Alpstein, renovated in style, with a view over the Seealpsee he calls a dream and food he describes as hearty yet well above average; he still remembers the cordon bleu and the fried fish. A rowboat trip in the early morning is a highlight for him. Because of its success, he writes, weddings there are now only possible in smaller groups.

Kunsthalle-Ziegelhütte Appenzell. He has photographed special weddings there, always for couples who liked its architecture, a mix of historic and modern. The varied rooms inspire creative wedding design, and the large building offers a suitable indoor or outdoor space for every part of the day. The high-quality catering, he notes, was found by the couples themselves.

Hotel und Restaurant Anker Teufen. A stylishly renovated historic building with excellent food and friendly service, where he has spent many evenings but has never yet photographed a wedding. The room suits up to around 50 people.

Gasthaus zum Gupf. On the Gupf near Rehetobel, which he calls a small paradise: "17 Gault Milleau Punkte (2023)", views to the Säntis and Lake Constance, a garden mixing nature and art, a helicopter landing pad for anyone wanting an unusual arrival at the wedding dinner, and a wine cellar with surprises. For a luxurious wedding, he writes, this is the right address.

The page also links to similar venue tips for Thurgau and St. Gallen, and to his tips for weddings in eastern Switzerland on flowers, the aperitif, music and cars. For a couple from abroad who has not yet chosen a venue, a photographer's own shortlist is a practical starting point, and his candor about where he has and has not worked makes it easy to weigh.

What Couples From Abroad Should Ask

Both pages are in German, and neither says whether he works in English, so language is the first question for an English-speaking couple. Neither page gives prices, hours of coverage, the number of images, the delivery time or the cost of a photo book; those are questions for the inquiry. The pages also do not say whether he travels outside eastern Switzerland.

Who He Suits

sunGallen suits couples marrying in St. Gallen, Appenzell or Thurgau who want romantic, story-driven reportage from a photographer who knows the region's venues and speaks about them from experience. The feedback points to a calm, friendly presence that puts couples and guests at ease. Couples planning outside the region, or who need confirmed English, should raise both points early.

Contact

Urs Anderegg, sunGallen*, Etzelbüntstr. 35, 9011 St. Gallen. Phone 071 223 79 81, email info@sunGallen.ch.